Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Heaven: What its REALLY like

The Apostle
Paul wrote to the people of Philippi in
chapter 3 of Philippians:

12Not that I have already obtained all this, or have
already been made perfect,but I press on
to take holdof that
for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.13Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken
hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behindand straining toward what is
ahead,14I press ontoward the goal to win the prizefor which God has calledme heavenward in Christ
Jesus.15All of us who
are matureshould
take such a view of things…. 16Only let
us live up to what we have already attained.17Join with others in following my example,brothers, and take note of
those who live according to the pattern we gave you.18For, as I
have often told you before and now say again even with tears,many live as enemies of the
cross of Christ.19Their destinyis destruction, their god is their stomach,and their glory is in their
shame.Their mind is on earthly things.

I think that if
Paul lived among us today he would find that there are many Christians who are
the same as the Christians in Philippi so many years ago. Their minds are on
earthly things. But Paul encourages us to press on toward the goal. He tells us
to forget what is behind and to strain toward the prize before us. What is that
prize? That prize is eternal life with Christ in a place called Heaven.

We sing about
Heaven and we say that someday we’ll go there but we really don’t know very
much about it. Unfortunately we are inundated with so many false messages from
TV programs and commercials about what Heaven is like that we have come to
believe it.

Heaven is a
subject that we don’t hear much about but today we’re going to and I want you
to realize that Heaven is a prize worth pressing on for. Maybe I can paint you
a picture of what Heaven is really like that will change your mind from what
you have always thought or heard.

Philippians 3:20
tells us that “our citizenship is in
heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,”. We don’t belong here, we belong in Heaven. Heaven is our home and we
should be homesick for it. Longing for it and looking forward to finally being
there.

Everyone wants to go to heaven and in fact most people believe that they
will get to go there. Some believe that everyone who dies will go to heaven.
Some believe that when we die we become angels and some believe that as long as
you try your best and you are a good person you will go to Heaven. According to
Scripture every one of these statements is a lie. Not everyone will get to go
to Heaven only those who have named Jesus Christ as their Saviour will have
their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If your name is not there, you
cannot gain admittance to that wonderful place.

With that as background, we are going to look at what the Bible says about
heaven. But before I jump in, I should make one important point: The only
things we can know for certain about heaven are the things revealed in the
Bible. Everything else is just speculation and hearsay. The Bible tells us
everything we need to know and I believe it also tells us everything we can
know for certain about heaven.

There have been many books and
articles written in recent years about heaven based on dreams, visions and
near-death experiences. The majority of these should be rejected because they
contain bad theology. Having said that, I do not doubt that some believers have
had genuine experiences with angels and have been given a glimpse of heaven.
But wonderful as those stories may be, I do not think we should build our
theology around them.

What is
heaven like? All right, the first good view of heaven comes in the first
chapter Ezekiel. People shy away from studying the book of Ezekiel. It can be
hard to understand but we are going to look at Ezekiel's vision of heaven.

Chapter 1 beginning in verse 4, "And as I looked, behold a storm wind was coming from the
north. A great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light
around it. And in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the
fire. And within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this
was their appearance. They had human form, each of them had four faces and four
wings. And their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof and
they gleamed like burnished bronze."

Verse 8, "Under their wings
on their four sides were human hands. Their wings touched one another. Their
faces did not turn when they moved and each went straight forward. As for the
form of their faces, each had the face of a man. All four had the face of a
lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left and all four had the face
of an eagle. Such were their faces."

"Their wings were spread out
above. Each had two touching another being and two covering their bodies. And
each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go
without turning as they went. In the midst of the living beings there was
something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and
forth among the living beings.""The fire was bright
and lightning was flashing from the fire. And the living beings ran to and fro
like bolts of lightning."

Many people
have looked at what these creatures symbolize and many have guessed what they
mean, but for today’s sermon we are simply looking at what Ezekiel, an ordinary
man, got to see of Heaven. He is describing what he saw.

Verse 15, "I looked at the living beings. Behold,
there was one wheel on the earth beside the living beings, for each of the four
of them. And the appearance of the wheels and their workmanship was like
sparkling beryl, and all four of them had the same form. Their appearance and
workmanship being as if one wheel were within another. Where whenever they
moved they moved in any of their four directions without turning as they moved.
As for their rims, the rims of the wheels, they were lofty and awesome and the
rims of all four of them were full of eyes round about. And whenever the living
beings moved, the wheels moved with them. And whenever the living beings rose
from the earth, the wheels rose also."

"Wherever the spirit was
about to go, they would go in that direction. And the wheels rose close beside
them for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Whenever those
went, these went." "And whenever those stood still, these stood
still. And whenever those rose from the earth, the wheels rose close beside
them for the spirit of the living beings was in the wheels. Now over the heads
of the living beings there was something like an expanse like the awesome gleam
of crystal extending over their heads. And under the expanse their wings were
stretched out straight, one toward the other, each one also had two wings
covering their bodies on the one side and on the other. I also heard the sound
of their wings like the sound of abundant waters as they went like the voice of
the Almightiest, sound of tumult, like the sound of an army camp. Whenever they
stood still they dropped their wings. And there came a voice from above the
expanse that was over their heads, whenever they stood still they dropped their
wings."

"Now above the expanse that
was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli
in appearance and on that which resembled a throne, high up was a figure with
the appearance of a man. And then I noticed from the appearance of his loins
upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it.
And from the appearance of his loins and downward, I saw something like fire
and there was a radiance around him, as the appearance of the rainbow in the
clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such
was the presence, or appearance, of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And
when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking..."

You might be
sitting here and saying, I thought she was going to tell us what Heaven is
like. I don’t understand these creatures with wheels and everything else that
Ezekiel is describing. I read these portions of Scripture to challenge what you
have been told by our culture about Heaven. Heaven is more wonderful and
magnificent than any of us could ever imagine. What we are really looking at in
these verses is the sovereignty of God,
His majesty, His glory, the wonderful beauty of His heaven, the order, the
symmetry, the perfection of it, all pictured in the wheels that moved perfectly
in order, almost in concert with one another, the flashing thunderbolts, the
sparkling jewels, the light, all picturing God's glory. That's the picture of
heaven. It's beyond our ability to fully understand , it's inconceivable to
us...the majesty, the wonder, the symmetry, the order of heaven.

We read in
the book of Revelation in chapter 4 John’s description of Heaven:

4 After this I
looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the
voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up
here, and I will show you what must take place after this.”2 At
once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heavenwith someone sitting on it. 3 And the one who sat there had the appearance of
jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other
thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5 From the throne came
flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the
throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of
God. 6 Also
in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne,
were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.7 The
first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had
a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.8 Each
of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop
saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

9 Whenever the
living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives
for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.”

John is
concentrating here on one thing in heaven and that's the throne of God and what
is happening around that throne. That is the center of heaven. That's where God
dwells. That's the focal point of God's presence. This description is very much
like Ezekiel's.

We are going
to be around that throne! We are going to see the flashing reflections from the
precious stones, the rainbow around the throne and the crystal river which
flows in front of the throne of God. We’re going to be there. That is a
description of our home!

This is
incredible. Does it make you kind of want to go there and see it and be a part
of it? Heaven is not a land of shadows and mists. People say, "I died and
went to heaven and I came back." Well, how was it? "Well, there was a
bright light at the end of a long tunnel." You’ve heard people say that?

The people who supposedly died, and were
revived, and came back again. Heaven is not some light at the end of some dark
tunnel. It is magnificent, full of colour, full of action. There’s a lot going
on in heaven. It’s not a quiet, boring place. There aren’t people sitting on
clouds strumming their harps. It is magnificent beyond description...not a land
of shadows and mists and fog.

Heaven is a real place
Jesus, Himself, spoke of it

Do not let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms;
if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you
to be with me that you also may be where I am (John 14:1-3,

11 It shone
with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like
that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.12 It had a great, high
wall with twelve gates,and with twelve angels at the
gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.13 There were three gates
on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the
west. 14 The
wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the
names of the twelve apostles( of the Lamb.

15 The angel
who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure
the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like
a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found
it to be 1500 miles in length, and as wide and high as it is long.

17 The angel
measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 216
feet thick.18 The
wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold,
as pure as glass.19 The foundations of the
city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was
jasper, the second sapphire, the
third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the
eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and
the twelfth amethyst.

21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single
pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

22 I did not
see a temple in the city, because the
Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need
the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light,and the Lamb is its lamp. 25 On no day will its
gates ever be shut, for there will be no night
there. 27 Nothing
impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or
deceitful, but only those whose
names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

John tells us in chapter 22 that he saw a river of pure Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the
throne of God and the Lamb, 2 coursing
down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew Trees
of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month; the
leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.

That doesn’t sound like a land of fluffy clouds and harps does it? No,
God isn’t boring and creating an all-white city would certainly not be very
exciting. Heaven is full of colour! Heaven is full of mansions, a street of
gold, gates made out of single pearls, angels, heavenly beings like we could
never have imagined and a throne surrounded by a rainbow and most importantly
of all, God will be there and we shall see Him face to face.

1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see
face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully
known.”

But what won’t be in Heaven? John says in Revelation 22:

3 There shall
be nothing in the city that is evil; for the throne of God and of the Lamb will
be there, and his servants will worship him. 4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall
be written on their foreheads. 5 And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or
sun—for the Lord God will be their light; and they shall reign forever and
ever.

In Heaven, there are no tears, there is no sorrow .Bitterness is gone forever,
failure left far behind. There will be no suffering, no pain, no sickness.
There won’t be any stiff joints and in fact with a glorified body there won’t
be any physical limitations. In heaven no one grows old and feeble.

If you make it to that city, you live forever, never to die again.
Either you believe in heaven or you don’t. It’s either a real place or it
isn’t.

But I do not want to be ambiguous on this point. Not everyone is in
heaven now. Some people won’t make it. The Bible speaks of the saved and the
lost. The saved are those who trust Jesus Christ as their eternal Savior. The
lost are those who do not trust Christ as Savior. This is the great dividing
line of humanity-you are either saved or you are lost. And there is no middle
category. You will either spend eternity in heaven or eternity in hell.

How can I be sure I am going to
heaven?

This is the most important question of all. Here is a wonderful truth:
God has made it easy for you to go to heaven. He did the hard part when he sent
his Son to die on the Cross for you. He paid the price for your sins so that
you could one day stand before God in heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me” (John 14:6). He also
said, “I am the door; if anyone enters
through Me, he shall be saved” (John 10:9 NASB). Jesus is not only the way to
heaven, he is also the door to heaven. If you want to go to heaven, you’ve got
to go through the door marked “Jesus Christ.” There is no other entrance.

Let me make
this very personal. If you were to die tonight, do you know for certain that
you would go to heaven?

I hope you
have answered yes to that question. If you couldn’t, let me encourage you to
ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and begin to live your life for him. If
you are saved and you know you are going to Heaven but you’ve never had a clear
picture of what Heaven is like so you’ve never longed for it. I hope this
message has made you realize where your citizenship is and has maybe stirred
something up in you to want to be there.

Let’s not be
like the Philippians who kept their minds on earthly things, but let’s press ontoward the goal to win
the prizefor which God has calledme heavenward in Christ
Jesu

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About Me

My husband and I have been married over 30 yrs. We have two sons and a daughter, two daughters-in-law and a son in law. We love dogs and have 2 Basset Hounds, Duke and Maggie and a Cocker Spaniel named Lilly Rose. Life is great and full of surprises! God has blessed us with a great old farmhouse which was built in 1848. We're honored to be a part of its history. We have pastored a wonderful group of people on Cape Sable Island Nova Scotia Canada for almost 10 yrs. Our lives have been built on faith and family. God has had His hand on our lives all these years and everything we have comes from Him. We are blessed! I enjoy writing and speaking at women's conferences and ministering to the King's daughters. "Mama's Pages" is now print and available from me at lauriestewartpass@hotmail.com for $20. cdn or through lulu.com. There are four books completed at this time.